Metal Gear Soild 4 (MGS4) Bluetooth Headset Review

June 06, 2008 at 12:30 AM in Sony PS3

We listened to your comments and feedback, and have updated our review - see below in BOLD

MGSheadset(b).jpg
Specs:

Bluetooth 2.0 Headset
Talk Time: 8 Hours
Standby: 160 hours
Range: 30 feet
Auto standby, auto-connects to last synced device.
Comes with carrying case.

Video Review

Pros:

Officially licensed product.
Looks cooler than most standard headsets.
Easy to operate and use.
Comes with sturdy carrying case.

Cons:

~~Voice quality is awful.~~ Voice quality is awful when used as a cellphone headset. We paired the MGS4 Headset to a Motorola RAZR, Samsung Blackjack, a Nokia 6131, and a Dell laptop and the results were the same. When used with the PS3, the voice quality was slightly better, but still not as good as other Bluetooth headsets.
Proprietary USB charger.
Uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time.

Conclusion - UPDATED

We're bummed. BIG TIME. We wanted this headset to be awesome, and for the price it should be. We could look past the proprietary USB charging cable, but we can't overlook the terrible sound quality when used with a cell phone. If you want people you call or are playing with online to actually understand what you are saying we suggest you try a different Bluetooth headset.

Wireless Metal Gear Headset

SECOND UPDATE:

Wow, we didn't expect this review would be so popular! Many of you have asked if the headset was fully charged, and yes it was charged for 8 hours before tested as per the instructions. And to be fair it's entirely possible our headset is just defective, here's a video a user has posted where the sound quality is passable. We purchased this headset directly from Gamestop online so it appears results may vary. We still maintain that for the money this headset should work as well as something like a Jawbone Headset.

To address a few more of your random questions and comments: Yes, I suppose I do look a little like Nick Frost. And yes, I do enjoy good muffins from time to time. Have a great weekend!

1 2 3 4 5

Current Rating: 2.52 by 60 readers (1="This Sucks, 5="Coolest Thing Ever")

Hey, why not subscribe to the GadgetMadness News Feed?
Why Subscribe? know why (via email or RSS)!

Reader Comments

birq @ June 6, 2008 03:40 AM

I wish you could have recorded our conversation. You sounded so disappointed when I couldn't understand you. Like a poor disappointed man with a mouth full of socks.

Ed @ June 6, 2008 05:05 AM

Yeah, I'm still trying to get the taste of sock out of my mouth. Really a shame too, I'd have used this as my daily headset for my phone if it worked better.

Ozhan @ June 6, 2008 07:55 PM

Testing method sounds weird Ed; you used an adapter for laptop (which you didn't mention) and called via Skype - per your video. Is that right? I know this headset does not sound like this cuz I have one too and it's as good as the other off the shelf headsets. Why you do this?

Ed @ June 6, 2008 08:32 PM

@Ozhan
The method I used to create the recordings was to pair the MGS4 Headset via Bluetooth with my cell phone, then call my Skype number and leave a message. I used an application called Pamela to extract that voice message from Skype to MP3 format. I then paired my Sony Ericsson HBH-GV435 headset via Bluetooth to my cell phone, called my Skype number, and extracted that voice message also using Pamela. What you hear in the video are the messages as they were recorded using this method, which seemed the best way to me to determine how I was sounding to others when I called.

ozhan @ June 6, 2008 08:46 PM

How did the other side sound to you? That was never mentioned in your review. Also, where did you get the headset; is it one of the pre-production samples IGN tested too?

Ed @ June 6, 2008 09:02 PM

I posted an update above that we purchased the review unit directly from GameStop. The other side sounded okay, but with some occasional static.

josh @ June 7, 2008 05:57 PM

I got this headset from gamestop.com yesterday and charged it overnight and tried it out this morning. The sound quality is much better then the video posted shows (at least my headset anyways..) so his might just be defective. I have only used it connected to a cell phone so far (sony ericsson w580i). So if you wanted this headset I would give it a shot and if you don't like it return it.

HC @ June 8, 2008 08:24 PM

I think your headset might have been defective. Check these out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgTRP7V9ohA
And

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kYhF1KMJ98

Mike @ June 9, 2008 04:12 AM

Maybe your headset is OK but you just want to damage the sales of it so that another headset may sell better. Like the upcoming Sony one. LMAO!!

Ed @ June 9, 2008 01:11 PM

Mike, this site is 100% unsponsored and unbiased. Which means we've never accepted payment for any review and we're not in anyone's back pocket and we're without agenda. We've always provided our honest opinion about every product we've reviewed and won't compromise our integrity for any reason. This site is about providing you, the reader with our unbiased opinion about products. (What anyone does with our opinion is their business.) That's more than can be said about other sites who do accept sponsored reviews.

This isn't the first time this question has been raised either, and it probably won't be the last.

http://www.gadgetmadness.com/archives/20070329-let_me_let_you_in_on_a_secret.php

We've been using the MGS4 Headset all weekend in the hopes that we'll get different results, which we haven't. As other readers have commented (and we posted to the original review in an update) it appears that not all MGS4 Headsets have the sound quality issue that ours does. Sound quality issues aside we still think there are better headsets out there for the money. That's our opinion though, we're not here to tell anyone what to do. We just call it like we see it.

SUBSCRIBE TO GADGETMADNESS

Return to the home page for more articles...

GadgetMadness: We find the coolest gadgets first